#taking environmental surveys for a university-run project from the city

[akkawi]

trying to get back into draiwng again forreal so i can do some 6 month overdue art trades and i started drawing bata but got way too into niche regional dress differences and realized that if she's from gunib district then she wouldn't wear this kind of headpiece and the clothes from gunib district are probably the most boring out of all of them in terms of jewelry etc so idk if i wanna transplant her to somewhere else or what.

[nuadox]

‘Super-spuds’ to the rescue as typical tubers feel the heat

- By Anthony King , Horizon -

From origins in the cool altitudes of the Andes, the potato is not well suited to the extreme temperatures or flooding brought on by climate change. Plant scientists are breeding ‘super-spuds’ able to endure harsher environmental conditions.

 The humble potato was first domesticated near Lake Titicaca in present-day Peru at least 8 000 years ago, and went on to sustain the great cities of the Inca empire. By the mid-16th century, it had left the Andes and crossed the Atlantic to Europe where it was introduced to Ireland in 1589 by English adventurer and courtier, the enigmatic Sir Walter Raleigh. Highly productive and extremely popular, the potato plant soon went on to become a staple in many European countries.

Today, it is the fourth most commonly grown food crop globally, after rice, maize, and wheat. Nonetheless, it remains vulnerable to waterlogging and heat stress, conditions that it did not evolve to withstand in its original high-altitude home in the Andes. Now, with pollution upending Europe’s climate, the potato has to confront these dual nemeses with increasing regularity.

‘Some potatoes are quite tolerant of drought stress, but they all have big problems with heat and flooding,’ says Dr Markus Teige, plant scientist at the University of Vienna who is leading the ADAPT project. ADAPT is developing new strategies to ensure potato crop productivity remains stable in the growth conditions of the future.

Plants afflicted by excessive heat stop producing sugars—preventing the development of tubers—and then race to flower early. This is an excellent strategy for wild potatoes to ensure the survival of the species under challenging conditions, but it delivers low yields to farmers.

Climate repercussions

A recent survey of over 500 European potato growers revealed that drought and heat were seen as the main repercussions of climate change on potatoes, followed by pests, disease, and heavy rains.

Some potatoes are quite tolerant of drought stress, but they all have big problems with heat and flooding.

Some potato varieties are better than others at resisting environmental stresses, which suggests that there is potential for plant breeders to genetically improve the European spud to be more tolerant.

The ADAPT project brings together four potato breeders and ten research institutions to investigate how some potatoes resist stresses.

‘We want to understand stress acclimation at the molecular level,’ said Dr Teige, ‘To develop markers for breeding stress tolerant potatoes.’

Potato breeding is especially challenging because of its complex genetics. The European variety contains millions of letters of DNA, each in four copies, on twelve distinct strands (chromosomes).

Genetic markers are akin to signposts that signify important stretches of DNA associated with a desirable trait, such as better tolerance to heat. 

‘A relatively small range of potato genetics was brought to Europe,’ said Dr Dan Milbourne, potato researcher at Teagasc in Ireland, a state agricultural research organisation. Therefore, it might be possible to import new traits.

ADAPT scientists have grown around 50 potato varieties in different combinations of stress conditions in various European locations. In parallel, they have run experiments in greenhouses, where varieties are grown under defined conditions in a high-tech facility in the Czech Republic.

It takes about 12 years to produce a potato variety.

The plants are photographed and measured daily to record how much water they use, and their rates of photosynthesis and growth. This data can reveal how they are influenced by stress and highlight signposts (genetic markers) in the potato genome important for stress responses.

The signposts save time and money for future breeding programmes. ‘If a marker is associated with a specific trait, then, when you grow a seedling, you extract the DNA and look for the marker,’ said Dr Teige. The old way was to allow the plant to grow and wait to see if the desired trait was present.

Saving time in plant breeding is a huge deal. ‘It takes about 12 years to produce a potato variety,’ said Dr Milbourne. And he should know, because last year, his organisation was involved in the release of Buster, a new variety of potato resistant to a type of nematode worm that can severely damage potato crops.  

Potato preferences

In Ireland, potatoes must be sprayed up to 20 times during a growing season to protect against late blight. Blight has an historical significance in Ireland as it caused potato crop failure in the 1840s which triggered a disastrous famine that decimated the population.

Meanwhile, Europe is seeking to lessen reliance on chemical sprays, with the European Commission recently proposing that pesticide use be cut in half by 2030. To reduce dependence on spraying, more pest-resistant potatoes will be needed.

Dr Milbourne is part of a project called PotatoMASH, which devised a way of scanning the genetic variation across the genome of potato varieties in an inexpensive manner. The method can diagnose the presence of target diseases and pest resistance genes in potatoes by sampling only stretches of very variable DNA, which is significantly less expensive than traditional methods of identifying genetic markers.

New software developed at ILVO (Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food) in Belgium, identifies areas of DNA where there are subtle differences between varieties.

We’re going to have to double production, without increasing the amount of land we farm, while also facing climate change.

It is single differences in the DNA code that are most interesting to breeders, explained Dr Milbourne. Potato breeding will be accelerated by identifying signposts for these areas.

‘Instead of testing thousands of individuals by infecting them with a disease and following their response,’ said Dr Milbourne, ‘I can just click out a small bit of leaf material about the size of my fingernail and test it for these markers, which can tell me whether a gene is present or absent.’

This is an important advance in the push to develop potatoes resistant to pests and diseases and able to withstand the vagaries of our future climate, while not sacrificing yield.

Super-spuds

Crucially, it will not be a matter of breeding just one super-spud, because consumer tastes for potatoes vary widely from country to country, and there will be plenty of new potato varieties needed for the future.

‘We are looking at moving from feeding 7 billion people to between 11 and 13 billion over the next several decades,’ said Dr Milbourne.

‘We’re going to have to double production, without increasing the amount of land we farm, while also facing climate change, which could also deplete the land we have available for agriculture.’

Part of the solution is to boost the resilience of staple crops—such as potatoes—to extremes such as high temperatures, pests, and diseases, while relying less on pesticides. The race is on.

Research in this article was funded by the EU.

This post​ ‘Super-spuds’ to the rescue as typical tubers feel the heat was originally published on Horizon: the EU Research & Innovation magazine | European Commission.

--

Read Also

Should we genetically edit the food we eat? We asked two experts

[sciencespies]

Meet the Ecologist Who Wants You to Unleash the Wild on Your Backyard

https://sciencespies.com/nature/meet-the-ecologist-who-wants-you-to-unleash-the-wild-on-your-backyard/

Meet the Ecologist Who Wants You to Unleash the Wild on Your Backyard

The land is ten gently sloping acres in rural southeastern Pennsylvania, at one time mowed for hay, with a handsome farmhouse that Douglas Tallamy bought around 20 years ago. It isn’t much to look at, by the standards most Americans apply to landscaping—no expansive views across swaths of lawn set off by flowerbeds and specimen trees—but, as Tallamy says, “We’re tucked away here where no one can see us, so we can do pretty much what we want.” And what he wants is for this property to be a model for the rest of the country, by which he means suburbs, exurbs, uninhabited woods, highway margins, city parks, streets and backyards, even rooftops and window boxes, basically every square foot of land not paved or farmed. He wants to see it replanted with native North American flora, supporting a healthy array of native North American butterflies, moths and other arthropods, providing food for a robust population of songbirds, small mammals and reptiles. He even has a name for it: Homegrown National Park.

A creek on his land supports native plants adapted to “getting their feet wet,” Tallamy says, such as skunk cabbage.

(Matthew Cicanese)

On a June day in 2001, not long after he bought the property, Tallamy, an entomologist at the University of Delaware, was walking his land when he noticed something that struck him as unusual. Before he bought it, most of it had been kept in hay, but at that point it hadn’t been mowed in three years and “was overgrown with autumn olive and Oriental bittersweet in a tangle so thick you couldn’t walk. The first thing I had to do was cut trails,” Tallamy recalls. And walking through his woods on the newly cut trails, what he noticed was what was missing: caterpillars.

No caterpillars on the Oriental bittersweet, the multiflora rose, the Japanese honeysuckle, on the burning bush that lined his neighbor’s driveway. All around him plants were in a riot of photosynthesis, converting the energy of sunlight into sugars and proteins and fats that were going uneaten. A loss, and not just for him as a professional entomologist. Insects—“the little things that run the world,” as the naturalist E.O. Wilson called them—are at the heart of the food web, the main way nature converts plant protoplasm into animal life. If Tallamy were a chickadee—a bird whose nestlings may consume between 6,000 and 9,000 caterpillars before they fledge, all foraged within a 150-foot radius of the nest—he would have found it hard going in these woods.

Tallamy knew, in a general sense, why that was. The plants he was walking among were mostly introduced exotics, brought to America either accidentally in cargo or intentionally for landscaping or crops. Then they escaped into the wild, outcompeting their native counterparts, meeting the definition of an “invasive” species. By and large, plants can tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions. But insects tend to be specialists, feeding on and pollinating a narrow spectrum of plant life, sometimes just a single species. “Ninety percent of the insects that eat plants can develop and reproduce only on the plants with which they share an evolutionary history,” Tallamy says. In the competition to eat, and to avoid being eaten, plants have developed various chemical and morphological defenses—toxins, sticky sap, rough bark, waxy cuticles—and insects have evolved ways to get around them. But as a rule, insect strategies don’t work well against species they have never encountered. That’s true of even closely related species—imported Norway maples versus native sugar maples, for instance. Tallamy has found that within the same genus, introduced plant species provide on average 68 percent less food for insects than natives. Hence, a plant that in its native habitat might support dozens or hundreds of species of insects, birds and mammals may go virtually uneaten in a new ecosystem. Pennsylvania, for example.

Demonstrating that point might make for a good undergraduate research project, Tallamy thought. So he asked a student to do a survey of the literature in preparation for a study. The student reported back there wasn’t any. “I checked myself,” he says. “There was a lot written about invasive species. But nothing on insects and the food web.”

That, he says, was the “aha” moment in his career, at which he began to remake himself from a specialist in the mating habits of the cucumber beetle to a proselytizer for native plants as a way to preserve what remains of the natural ecology of North America. He was following in the footsteps of Wilson, his scientific hero, who went from being the world’s foremost expert on ants to an eminent spokesman for the ecology of the whole planet. “I didn’t exactly plan it this way,” Tallamy says with a shrug. “In the musical chairs of life, the music stopped and I sat down in the ‘invasive plants’ chair. It’s a satisfying way to close out my career.”

As a scientist, Tallamy realized his initial obligation was to prove his insight empirically. He began with the essential first step of any scientific undertaking, by applying for research grants, the first of which took until 2005 to materialize. Then followed five years of work by relays of students. “We had to plant the plants and then measure insect use over the next three years, at five different sites,” he recalls. “To sample a plot was an all-day affair with five people.” Out of that work eventually came papers in scientific journals such as Conservation Biology (“Ranking lepidopteran use of native versus introduced plants”), Biological Invasions (“Effects of non-native plants on the native insect community of Delaware”) and Environmental Entomology (“An evaluation of butterfly gardens for restoring habitat for the monarch butterfly”). And then popularizing books aimed at changing the face of America’s backyards: Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife With Native Plants and, this year, Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard. And in turn a busy schedule of talks before professional organizations, environmental groups, local conservation societies, landscape designers—anyone who would listen, basically.

Squirrels aren’t the only animals that like acorns. Weevils develop inside the oaknuts, and the larvae, in turn, nourish blue jays and woodpeckers

(Matthew Cicanese)

When insects disappear, humans may not take much notice, but the recent population declines of two species have received a great deal of attention: the monarch butterfly, because it’s an iconic, easily recognizable and beautiful creature; and the honeybee, because it’s needed to pollinate crops. But those episodes are symptomatic of a larger disruption in the ecosystem. Tallamy estimates that the worldwide population of arthropods, chiefly insects, has declined by 45 percent from preindustrial times. Without insects, it would be the case that lizards, frogs and toads, birds and mammals, from rodents up through bears, would lose all or a large part of their diets. “The little things that run the world are disappearing,” he says. “This is an ecological crisis that we’re just starting to talk about.”

Tallamy is 68, graying, soft-spoken and diffident. In his talks he cloaks the urgency of his message with an understated wit, as when he presses the unpopular cause of poison ivy, whose berries at certain times of the year are an important food for the downy woodpecker and other birds. “When do you get a rash from poison ivy?” he asks an audience. “When you try to pull it out! Ignore your poison ivy. You can run faster than it can.” To which many people would reply: “Nature had plenty of poison ivy and insects in it the last time I was there.”

But to Tallamy, that attitude is precisely the problem. It speaks to a definition of “nature” as co-extensive with “wilderness,” and excludes the everyday landscape inhabited by virtually all Americans. The ecosystem cannot be sustained just by national parks and forests. A statistic he frequently cites is that 86 percent of the land east of the Mississippi is privately owned. A large fraction of that acreage is either under cultivation for food or planted in a monoculture of lawn, a landscape that for ecological purposes might as well be a parking lot.

To Tallamy, spiders serve as a linchpin species to birds because they are the second most important food, outweighed in nutritive value only by caterpillars.

(Matthew Cicanese)

Tallamy incorporated his thinking into “Homegrown National Park,” an aspirational project to repurpose half of America’s lawnscape for ecologically productive use. That would comprise more than 20 million acres, the equivalent of nearly ten Yellowstones. The intention is to unite fragments of land scattered across the country into a network of habitat, which could be achieved, he wrote in Bringing Nature Home, “by untrained citizens with minimal expense and without any costly changes to infrastructure.” The plots wouldn’t have to be contiguous, although that would be preferable. Moths and birds can fly, and you’re helping them just by reducing the distance they have to travel for food.

“Every little bit helps,” Tallamy says. “Most people don’t own 50 acres, so it’s not going to be that hard. The minimal thing is, you plant a tree and it’s the right tree. Look at what’s happened at my house.”

The idea was picked up by the writer Richard Louv, who coined the term “nature-deficit disorder” in his jeremiad Last Child in the Woods, and by the Canadian naturalist and philanthropist David Suzuki, whose foundation is supporting an effort to implement the project on a limited scale in Toronto.

Even a small patch of Pennsylvania woodland, if allowed to grow wild, generates a vast ecosystem: Native crabapples persist into winter and feed foxes and wild turkeys.

(Matthew Cicanese)

Tallamy walks his land in all seasons, wrenching from the soil the occasional Japanese honeysuckle that made the mistake of venturing onto his property, checking up on his winterberries and sweet pepperbush, looking for leaves that have been chewed by insects and the stems of berries eaten by birds. Occasionally he will do a moth survey, hanging a white sheet in his woods at night behind a mercury vapor lamp. The diversity of insect life he encounters is eye-opening even to him; last year he added more than 100 species to his property list, including a few he had to look up to identify. (There are around 11,000 species of moths in the United States, and 160,000 worldwide.) Near his front door is a 35-foot-tall white oak that he planted from an acorn, ignoring the advice some landscapers give against planting oaks, because you won’t live long enough to enjoy them at their mature size, which may take 300 years. “Well, if you can only enjoy a 300-year-old oak, I guess that’s true,” he says dryly. He has collected 242 species of caterpillars from the tree in his yard—so far.

Tallamy is a great proponent of the ecological benefits of caterpillars, a single one of which has the nutritional value of as many as 200 aphids. “They’re soft, you can stuff them down the beak of your offspring without damaging their esophagus,” he says approvingly. “They contain carotenoids. Birds take the carotenoids and build pigments out of them. That’s how you make a prothonotary warbler.”

He acknowledges that not all homeowners enjoy the sight of caterpillars munching on the leaves of their trees. For them he recommends what he calls his Ten-Step Program: “Take ten steps back from the trunk and all your insect problems go away.”

Mushrooms enrich the teeming soil when they decompose.

(Matthew Cicanese)

Tallamy’s principles have a particular resonance with people—like me—who consider themselves environmentalists but landscaped on the principle “if it looks good, plant it.” He says he’s sometimes surprised at how well his message is received. “I thought there would be quite a bit of push back,” he muses. “But there hasn’t been. I’m suggesting we cut the lawn area in half. I assume they just aren’t taking me seriously. Early on I remember a nurseryman in the audience glowering at me, and I heard him muttering ‘You’re trying to put us out of business.’ I don’t want to put them out of business. I get a lot of invitations from the nursery industry, trade shows, landscape architects. All I’m saying is add one criterion to what you use when you choose your plants”—whether a plant is native. “You can’t argue against it.”

Actually, you can. Tallamy has a long-standing scientific disagreement with an entomologist at the University of California at Davis, Arthur Shapiro. Shapiro grew up in Philadelphia, where, he says, the Norway maple on his block in the 1960s was host to at least three species of moth caterpillar: the American dagger moth, the Crecopia silk moth,and the Lunate Zale moth. “Tallamy invokes the diversity of caterpillars as an indicator of the superiority of native plants over nonnative plants,” Shapiro says. “It’s unsurprising that most of them feed on native plants. What goes right by Tallamy is the extent to which native insects switch and adapt to nonnative plants.

“Here in California we are probably more heavily impacted by naturalized plants than any other state except Hawaii. Our low-elevation butterflies are heavily dependent on nonnative plants. Their native host plants have been largely eradicated, but to their good fortune, humans introduced nonnative plants that are not only acceptable but in some instances superior to native hosts. Most California natives in cultivation are of no more butterfly interest than nonnatives, and most of the best butterfly flowers in our area are exotic.”

The much-reviled (but also beloved by some) eucalyptus trees that have colonized the Central California coast now harbor overwintering monarch butterflies, Shapiro says, although for the most part the insect populations they support are different from those found in native habitats. But his attitude is, so what? The marine blue, a butterfly native to the desert Southwest, where it feeds on acacia and mesquite, has expanded its range into the suburbs of Southern California, feeding on leadwort, a perennial flowering shrub native to South Africa. It is botanically unrelated to acacia and mesquite, but by some accident of biochemistry is a suitable host for the marine blue caterpillar, which has adapted to its new host. “That sort of process is happening all the time all around us,” Shapiro says.

Tallamy begs to differ. The examples Shapiro cites, in his view, represent either anecdotal findings of limited scientific value (like the caterpillars on the street tree from Shapiro’s childhood), or anomalous exceptions to the rule that introduced species support a fraction of the insect life of the plants they replace. A ginkgo tree might look like a functional part of an ecosystem, but the Chinese native might as well be a statue for all the good it does. The well-publicized instances of alien species that found American vegetation to their taste—Asian long-horned beetles, European corn borers, gypsy moths—have created the misleading impression that to an insect, one tree is as good as another. But those are exceptional cases, Tallamy maintains, and the great majority of insects accidentally introduced to North America are never heard from again. “Remember, the horticulture trade screens plants before they introduce them into the market. Any plant that is vulnerable to serious attack by native insects is screened out.”

On one level, this dispute reflects that Tallamy and Shapiro have studied very different ecosystems. As Tallamy wrote in Bringing Nature Home, he was “forced to slight western North America and focus on the Lepidoptera that occur on woody plants in eight states of the eastern deciduous forest biome.” The scientists’ disagreement is also partly over time scales. Tallamy acknowledges that natural selection will allow some native insects to evolve the ability to eat whatever is growing in front of them, or be replaced by species that can, and that birds will figure out a way to make a living off the newcomers. But he thinks this is likely to take thousands of generations to have an impact on the food web. Shapiro maintains he has seen it occur within his own lifetime.

It’s fair to say Tallamy sometimes pursues his passion for native flora to the point of single-mindedness. He is the rare environmentalist who doesn’t bring up climate change at the first opportunity, not because he doesn’t care about it, but because he wants to stick to his chosen issue. “Climate change is not what’s driving this problem,” he says. “If there were no climate change anywhere, it would be just as important. It’s driven by poor plant choice and habitat destruction. I don’t like to mix the two. Right now the culture is, ‘Every problem we have is related to climate,’ and that’s not the case.”

He also can be nonchalant about some of the adjustments and sacrifices entailed by his plan for saving the planet. He suffered from allergies to ragweed pollen for decades, he writes in Nature’s Best Hope, but is willing to forgive the plant on the basis that “the ragweed genus Ambrosia is the eighth most productive herbaceous genus in the East, supporting caterpillar development for 54 species of moths.” He doesn’t sugarcoat the fact that the phylum of arthropods includes, besides butterflies and honeybees, about 900 species of Ixodida, which includes ticks. “I think I’ve had Lyme around a half-dozen times,” he says, as he plunges casually into a chest-high thicket in early autumn, “but I’m one of the people who get the rash”—the telltale bull’s-eye marker of an infected bite by the deer tick, which not all patients evince—“so I was able to catch it and treat it each time.”

Anyone following Tallamy’s landscaping dictums might want to, at least, tuck their pants into their socks when they walk around their yard. That is a small sacrifice given the enormousness of the problem he wants to solve. But even people willing to give over half their lawn for the benefit of caterpillars might be daunted by the task of replacing it according to Tallamy’s prescription. Saving the ecosystem isn’t as simple as just letting nature take over your backyard. In nature the race is to the swift, even for plants. “There’s a time in the spring when plants from Asia leap out before plants from North America,” he tells an audience, projecting a picture taken in a local park in late March. “All of the green you see is plants from Asia, the usual suspects: multi-flora rose, Oriental bittersweet, Japanese honeysuckle, privet, barberry, burning bush, ailanthus, Norway maple, all escapees from our garden. You go into almost any natural area around here, a third of the vegetation is from Asia.” Invasive species are called that for a reason, and repelling them is hard, and never-ending, work.

Moreover, not all native plants are created equal, at least from the point of view of an insect. Across a wide range of North American biomes, about 14 percent of plants make 90 percent of the insect food, he says. These are the keystone species that keep the food web healthy, and the most important are four genera of native trees: oaks, poplars, willows and cherries. But also hickory, chestnut, elms and birches, and joe-pye weed, aster, marsh marigold, skunk cabbage, snakeweed. Some seem worth planting just for the poetry of their names: Chickasaw plum, chokecherry, wax myrtle, devil’s beggar’s-tick, false indigo, hairy bush clover, cypress panicgrass.

But insects aren’t the only creatures that evolved to consume the native vegetation of North America. Tallamy’s ten-step rule for making insect damage disappear to the naked eye doesn’t apply to deer. As he trudges alongside a shallow ravine on his property he points to a small clump of trees on the other side that have been denuded from the ground up to nearly shoulder height. “There’s the browse line on Eastern red cedar,” he says sourly. One reason landscapers favor certain exotic species is that deer don’t eat them. Tallamy’s solution for controlling deer is another one of his idealistic, if not altogether practical, recommendations: “Bring back predators!” he says cheerfully.

Tallamy stops on his walk to adjust a wire barrier around a native azalea. “If I wasn’t around to keep up this fence,” he muses, “the deer would eat it all. So you say, why bother?

“That’s a good question.

“But I do.”

“Natural” doesn’t always mean untouched. Tallamy uproots invasive plants, like this fast-growing porcelain-berry, a vine originally from East Asia, introduced in the 1870s.

(Matthew Cicanese)

I visited Tallamy not long before he set out for ten days in the mountains of Peru, where he was consulting with organizations that promote the practice of growing coffee plants beneath the tree canopy (“shade-grown coffee”) to conserve bird habitat. He wanted to investigate which trees provide the best ecological diversity. Before I leave, he quotes Wilson one more time, from his famous talk on “The Importance and Conservation of Invertebrates.” The passage goes like this:

“The truth is that we need invertebrates but they don’t need us. If human beings were to disappear tomorrow, the world would go on with little change….But if invertebrates were to disappear, I doubt that the human species could last more than a few months. Most of the fishes, amphibians, birds and mammals would crash to extinction about the same time. Next would go the bulk of the flowering plants and with them the physical structure of the majority of forests and other terrestrial habitats of the world.

“The earth would rot.”

Wilson gave that talk in 1987. “It was,” Tallamy says dryly, “a theoretical worry back then.”

So it is less of a theoretical worry now, and more of a real one. But Tallamy is doing what he can to head it off, and he wants the whole country to pitch in. Homegrown National Park is meant to bring about not just a horticultural revolution, but a cultural one, bridging the human-dominated landscape and the natural world. “If you do this at your house or in your local park, you don’t have to go to Yellowstone to interact with nature,” Tallamy says. “You won’t have bison, you won’t have Mystic Falls, but you can have nature outside your door. Isn’t that what you want for your kids—and for yourself?”

To Tallamy, the nation’s backyards are more than ripe for a makeover. Here are some of his suggestions to help rejuvenators hit the ground running.

1. Shrink your lawn. Tallamy recommends halving the area devoted to lawns in the continental United States—reducing water, pesticide and fertilizer use. Replace grass with plants that sustain more animal life, he says: “Every little bit of habitat helps.”

2. Remove invasive plants. Introduced plants sustain less animal diversity than natives do. Worse, some exotics crowd out indigenous flora. Notable offenders: Japanese honeysuckle, Oriental bittersweet, multiflora rose and kudzu.

3. Create no-mow zones. Native caterpillars drop from a tree’s canopy to the ground to complete their life cycle. Put mulch or a native ground cover such as Virginia creeper (not English ivy) around the base of a tree to accommodate the insects. Birds will benefit, as well as moths and butterflies.

4. Equip outdoor lights with motion sensors. White lights blazing all night can disturb animal behavior. LED devices use less energy, and yellow light attracts fewer flying insects.

5. Plant keystone species. Among native plants, some contribute more to the food web than others. Native oak, cherry, cottonwood, willow and birch are several of the best tree choices.

6. Welcome pollinators. Goldenrod, native willows, asters, sunflowers, evening primrose and violets are among the plants that support beleaguered native bees.

7. Fight mosquitoes with bacteria. Inexpensive packets containing Bacillus thuringiensis can be placed in drains and other wet sites where mosquitoes hatch. Unlike pesticide sprays, the bacteria inhibit mosquitoes but not other insects.

8. Avoid harsh chemicals. Dig up or torch weeds on hardscaping, or douse with vinegar. Discourage crabgrass by mowing lawn 3 inches high.

#Nature

[stoweboyd]

It’s a Noisy World

In Why Is the World So Loud?, Bianca Bosker investigates data center noises from the cooling equipment driving people crazy in Chandler Arizona. But the reality is that we are all being driven crazy by  noise:

Even when not intentionally deployed for harm, the sound of drilling, barking, building, crying, singing, clomping, dancing, piano practicing, lawn mowing, and generator running becomes, to those exposed, a source of severe anguish that is entirely at odds with our cavalier attitude toward noise. “It feels like it’s eating at your body,” a man plagued by a rattling boiler told a reporter. A woman who was being accosted on all sides by incessant honking told me, “The noise had literally pushed me to a level of feeling suicidal.” For those grappling with it, noise is “chaos,” “torture,” “unbearable,” “nauseating,” “depressing and nerve-racking,” “absolute hell,” and “an ice pick to the brain.” “If you didn’t know they were talking about noise, you might think they were describing some sort of assault,” Erica Walker, an environmental-health researcher at Boston University, has said. This has spurred scientists, physicians, activists, public officials, and, albeit less in the United States, lawmakers to join in the quest for quiet, which is far more elusive than it may seem. “Quiet places,” says the acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempton, “have been on the road to extinction at a rate that far exceeds the extinction of species.” […] Study after study has reached the hardly earth-shattering conclusion that we largely prefer the sounds of nature to those of machines. A 2008 research project that played subjects 75 recordings, ranging from a cat’s meow to skidding tires, found the five most agreeable sounds to be running water, bubbling water, flowing water, a small waterfall, and a baby laughing. Other studies—echoing spa brochures—tell us that natural sounds promote relaxation. And yet we’re muffling them with our racket, to the detriment of other species. The concentration of stress hormones in elk and wolf feces spikes when snowmobiles arrive, then returns to normal when the machines disappear; a similar pattern was observed for North Atlantic right whales subjected to the whine of ship traffic. (One bioacoustics researcher told The New York Times that the acoustic emissions of air guns, used to map the ocean floor, are creating a “living hell” for undersea creatures.) Birds in noisy habitats become screechier to make themselves heard above our din—sparrows that “used to sound like, say, George Clooney would now sound like Bart Simpson,” one ornithologist told a reporter—and this phenomenon has been linked to decreases in species diversity, bird populations, and tree growth. Though data are scarce, the world appears to be growing louder. The National Park Service’s Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division, which sends researchers to measure the acoustics of the American outdoors, estimates that noise pollution doubles or triples every 30 years. The EPA last measured our nation’s volume in 1981; assuming (generously) that our collective cacophony has remained constant, calculations from 2013 estimate that more than 145 million Americans are exposed to noise exceeding the recommended limits. In the absence of more recent surveys, the volume at which emergency vehicles shriek is telling, given that sirens must be loud enough to pierce the ambient noise level. According to measurements by R. Murray Schafer, a fire-engine siren from 1912 reached 88 to 96 decibels measured from 11 feet away, whereas by 1974, sirens’ screeches hit 114 decibels at the same distance—an increase in volume, he noted, of about half a decibel a year. The latest fire-engine sirens howl louder still: 123 decibels at 10 feet.

I have the somewhat simple problems of living in a small city: dogs barking at the crack of dawn, leaf blowers, construction compressors, and motorcycles. I have come to accept the more remote whine of trains, heading north and south along the Hudson. While dogs barking may seem natural, the unnatural trains are easier to take.

[uafairbanks]

Stacy Bowen’s family has owned The Fur Shop for some 40 years. The cream-colored store in Utqiaġvik sits on the edge of the Arctic Ocean. Crammed floor to ceiling with animal skins, costume jewelry, fabric bolts, souvenir sweatshirts and fresh flowers flown in from the tropics, the eclectic shop is a commercial hub for the northernmost city in the United States. From its perch on a bluff overlooking ice floes, seabirds and marine mammals, the shop serves an isolated community of about 4,000 people, most of them Iñupiat Eskimos. It’s a place to drop off laundry for cleaning, buy toys, wire money and order home delivery of water “We go where the customers take us,” said Bowen. While the Fur Shop is a commercial lifeline for this remote Arctic community, its physical location is precarious. Were it not for a retaining wall anchoring the bluff, The Fur Shop might have washed into the sea last September when a ferocious storm ate away many feet of coastline adjacent to the shop. The storm caused millions of dollars in damage to roads, wrecked buildings and archeological sites and prompted a disaster declaration from the governor. It wasn’t the first time Utqiaġvik suffered such major devastation and it’s unlikely to be the last. As temperatures in the Arctic rise, sea ice is disappearing. Shore-fast ice forms a protective barrier for coastal Arctic communities like Utqiaġvik. As the ice retreats, coastal Alaska communities are becoming more vulnerable to natural hazards such flooding, destructive wave action and loss of human life.  Bowen has seen the climate drastically during her many years in Utqiaġvik, formerly known as Barrow.“The weather is definitely not the same as it was 20 years ago. It’s been a big concern not just because of erosion but because of subsistence and our way of life,” Bowen said.Utqiaġvik’s Iñupiat residents rely on bowhead whale and other sea and land animals for food and culture. As the Arctic heats up—twice as fast as anywhere on Earth—the behavior of animals is changing, putting Iñupiat food security at risk. To boost Utqiaġvik’s ability to manage climate change threats, Alaska Sea Grant is supporting research driven by local citizen scientists. The work is being done on the beach just below The Fur Shop and elsewhere along the town’s shoreline. Project leaders are building local capacity and providing training to  volunteers who use survey instruments to monitor and document changes to the coast. The project, which began several years ago, focuses on observing and forecasting storm surges, flooding and erosion. The goal is to provide local risk managers with information they need to better protect the community.Much of the work is taking place along the beach where homes and critical infrastructure are located, including a utilidor, pump stations and a defunct landfill.The utilidor is an underground artery that runs over three miles through permafrost, carrying vital services to Utqiaġvik residents, including water, sewer, telephone, fiber-optic cable, and electricity. If a storm were to take out the utilidor, longtime Utqiaġvik resident and archeologist Anne Jensen says the town would be faced with an immediate public health crisis.“You’d have 4,000 people who all of sudden couldn’t wash their hands,” Jensen said.CULTURAL HISTORY WASHING AWAYA short walk down Stevenson Street from the Fur Shop sits a row of houses. Some are abandoned, their owners having fled before disaster struck. Others remain occupied. A large house on this stretch of two-lane dirt road stands out for its relative grandeur among Utqiaġvik’s typically weather-beaten structures. It’s the home of one of Alaska’s most prominent men, Oliver Leavitt.Leavitt is a whaling captain and director of Arctic Slope Regional Corporation. He’s one of the founders of this Native-owned corporation, one of Alaska’s most successful companies, reporting $2.4 billion in revenue in 2016, according to published reports.Leavitt’s spacious house is located mere feet from the edge of a bluff. On a sunny day in July, a barbeque sat on the lawn between the house and the steep drop-off. The lights were on. It’s unclear if the house will survive the next big storm. Leavitt could not be reached for comment.Protruding from the sandy soil of the bluff beneath Leavitt’s home are pieces of wood, remnants of sod houses occupied by Utqiaġvik’s ancestors thousands of years ago. A sign warns the public not to collect any archeological remains from the site or risk of facing fines of up to $250,000 and fives years in prison.“Their cultural heritage is going into the ocean,” said anthropologist Anne Garland, who is leading the volunteer training. She’s with Applied Research in Environmental Sciences NonProfit, Inc. On the beach below the Leavitt home, Garland was working with University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) professor John Bean on the Alaska Sea Grant-funded project. On a Sunday afternoon in July, temperatures hovered in the mid-30s. As a seal bobbed in icy water offshore, Garland and Bean trained a small group of community volunteers to take shoreline measurements and calculate features of waves, wind and water levels . Accompanying them were two graduate students.Cheryl Magee is studying electrical engineering at UAA. Anuszka Mosurska will soon begin a PhD program at the University of Leeds in England, focusing on the human dimensions of climate change. With Magee and Mosurska’s help in holding the survey instruments, Bean gave some basic instructions.“Okay, push the leg down into the sand like this. Not too hard,” Bean said, showing Jason Russell how to install an automatic level upon the black sand beneath them.Russell is a library archivist who is learning how to measure the profile of the beach. Once he has mastered the technique, Russell will be assigned a transect, or a stretch of the study area. He will be asked to take measurements once a month or as soon as it’s safe after a storm. “Having these precise data points, you can start to generate predictive models to see which areas need additional funding,” said Russell.Documenting how much shoreline loss occurs each year gives local risk managers the data they need to take protective actions or apply for federal dollars for hazard mitigation.FORECASTING THREATSA man-made berm is the lone structure holding Utqiaġvik back from the Arctic Ocean. Other sections of town are in the direct line of the sea. When major storms barrel ashore, the accompanying waves and storm surge attack the berm, prompting bulldozers to fan out on the beach and push new sand into place. It’s an endless fight against the elements. As temperatures warm and the sea ice melts, the battle to save the berm grows ever more intense.So far, the North Slope Borough has been unable to secure funding to get a seawall built, a more permanent structure that would protect the utilidor and other critical structures.Estimates for a seawall range in the hundreds of millions of dollars and upward. While the funding search plays out, researchers hope to develop a system to better forecast how the changes in climate and coastal erosion will effect Utqiaġvik. In addition to  using trained volunteers to calculate beach geometry and storm surge heights, a high-tech video camera will be installed on a public building to collect imagery of wave conditions and sea levels.The data will be used to strengthen Utqiaġvik’s erosion forecasting system so managers will know where the greatest threats exist during any given storm. It’ll also be made available to the State of Alaska’s Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys.Garland, who has been working with the North Slope Borough’s Office of Risk Management, says coastal erosion is identified as the number one risk Utqiaġvik residents face.“If the sanitary landfill gets washed out, that affects the entire Arctic Ocean. If any of the utilities goes down, there’s a cascade effect. It’ll be very hard to recover from that whether they’re on the shoreline or not,” Garland said.Micheal Judkins is one of the Utqiaġvik residents who has been trained as a shoreline monitor. The transect he’s working on near The Fur Shop retreated at least 30 feet last year, Garland said. While he is contributing his time taking shoreline measurements, Judkins is resigned to the vulnerability his town is facing. “There’s not much you can do to reverse the inevitable,” Judkins said.He’s not expecting much help either.“I don’t think the federal or state governments care about it. If they cared, something would be done about it.”That said, Judkins had a message for people outside of Utqiaġvik.“Some people look at it here as a wasteland. But if you come here you’ll see, there is life everywhere. It’s teeming with life,” Judkins said. [X]

[thepeoplesbasics]

THE BASIC BRIEF – OCTOBER 22ND, 2021

In this week’s Basic Brief, we highlight the reconciliation bill getting cut down, Manchin potentially leaving the Democratic Party, Colin Powell passing away, and more. Also linked is all the content from The People’s Basics this week.

JOE MANCHIN CONSIDERING LEAVING THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY

By David Corn – Mother Jones October 20th, 2021

“In recent days, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) has told associates that he is considering leaving the Democratic Party if President Joe Biden and Democrats on Capitol Hill do not agree to his demand to cut the size of the social infrastructure bill from $3.5 trillion to $1.75 trillion, according to people who have heard Manchin discuss this.”

DEMOCRATS CUTTING DOWN RECONCILIATION BILL

By Margot Sanger-Katz and Alicia Parlapiano – NY Times October 20th, 2021

“As Democrats in Congress debate how to pare back their big social spending bill — to a total budget increase of less than $2 trillion over a decade — they have even further to go than it may appear.”

NIKOLAS CRUZ PLEADS GUILTY TO 2018 PARKLAND SCHOOL MASSACRE

By Terry Spencer – AP News October 20th, 2021

“Nikolas Cruz pleaded guilty Wednesday to murdering 17 people during a rampage at his former high school in Parkland, Florida, leaving a jury to decide whether he will be executed for one of the nation’s deadliest school shootings.”

COLIN POWELL PASSES AWAY

By Devan Cole – CNN October 19th, 2021

“Colin Powell, the first Black US secretary of state whose leadership in several Republican administrations helped shape American foreign policy in the last years of the 20th century and the early years of the 21st, has died from complications from Covid-19, his family said on Facebook. He was 84.”

BIDEN HAS THE POWER TO PREVENT 1.6 BILLION METRIC TONS OF EMISSIONS ANNUALLY

By Joseph Winters – Grist October 15th, 2021

“Hundreds of Indigenous protesters and environmental advocates descended on Washington, D.C. this week to demand that President Joe Biden use his executive authority to nix new fossil fuel projects and declare a climate emergency. Every day since Monday — Indigenous Peoples’ Day — they’ve marched, chanted, and engaged in civil disobedience outside the Capitol and White House.”

HUMAN REMAINS FOUND IN FLORIDA RESERVE CONFIRMED TO BE BRIAN LAUNDRIE

By Doha Madani and Pei-Sze Cheng – NBC News October 21st, 2021

“Partial remains found by authorities searching for Brian Laundrie, Gabby Petito’s fiancé, were confirmed to be his after a review of dental records.”

CRIMINAL JUSTICE DATA SHOWS NEBRASKANS ARE SERVING LONGER SENTENCES IN PRISON

By Bayley Bischof – 1011now October 19th, 2021

“Nebraska’s prisons remain in an overcrowding emergency, at the same time they’re seeing critical staff shortages.

It’s a combination that has lawmakers, corrections staff and the loved ones of inmates calling for change.”

COMPLIANCE WITH VACCINE MANDATE FOR CITY EMPLOYEES WORTH AMONG POLICE, FIREFIGHTERS

By Fran Spielman and Mitch Dudek – Chicago Suntimes October 18th, 2021

“Out of 12,770 CPD employees, 4,543 had failed to report their vaccine status by the midnight Friday deadline. On Monday, employees who have defied the mandate were being called in by their supervisors and given one last chance to report their vaccine status on the city’s portal.”

NEARLY 80% OF REPUBLICANS WANT TO SEE TRUMP RUN IN 2024

By Tal Axelrod – The Hill October 19th, 2021

“Nearly 80 percent of Republicans want to see former President Trump wage a third White House bid in 2024, according to a new Quinnipiac University survey released Tuesday.”

MANCHIN TAKES AIM AT BIDEN’S CLIMATE CHANGE AGENDA

By Zachary B Wolf – CNN October 20th, 2021

“West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin — a Democrat — appears to be intent on ripping the heart out of President Joe Biden’s climate change agenda.”

[earaercircular]

Universities and Technical Universities in Brandenburg-Germany: Climate-conscious and sustainable

Solar systems, environmental management, special degree programs, changed menu in the cafeteria: for universities and technical universities in Brandenburg, climate neutrality and sustainability in the course of study are very topical. This was the result of a survey by the German Press Agency among institutions.

At the University of Potsdam,[1]for example, two managers have been working since last year who are supposed to implement a climate protection concept. It shows to the university the possibilities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as spokeswoman Antje Horn-Conrad reports. 82 measures, among others in the fields of real estate and its energy efficiency, use of renewable energies, mobility, nutrition and green IT are included in the concept. The university also operates three solar systems.

The Technical University of Brandenburg (THB)[2] also uses sustainable electricity - with a photovoltaic system on the building of the Center for Information Technology and Media. The hot water is also produced by its own solar system in the cafeteria building, as spokeswoman Bianca Kahl reports. At the university, among other things, courses on electromobility and energy efficiency of technical systems are offered. According to the university, seminars or student projects in other degree programs also deal with a wide range of topics related to sustainability - for example with the development of an app for a possible car sharing agency.

The Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg (BTU) [3] claims that it generates its own renewable electricity with photovoltaic systems: As part of a research project, a photovoltaic system with an output of 100 kilowatts has also been made operational on the roof of the Research and Materials Testing Institute (FMPA)[4]since 2011. Together with a battery storage system with a usable capacity of 500 kW and 15 charging stations, the system is used for research into the storage and recovery of renewable energywhen operating e-cars.

The university is also working on several research projects on sustainability. Among other things, scientists want to further develop the recycling of batteries. With the help of a new process, lithium batteries will in future contain cathode material from used electric vehicle batteries without any loss of quality. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)[5].

Sustainable way of life by Studentenwerk

The students are now accompanied by the topic of sustainability and climate protection in many everyday situations. According to its own statements, the Studentenwerk[6]in Potsdam draws energy from 100 percent green electricity. Spokeswoman Josephine Kujau explains that the head office operates according to the motto "less is more" by integrating motion detectors for the corridor lighting. In many of the total of 18 residential complexes, electricity is used from sustainable energy and heat generation - for example from photovoltaic systems, solar thermal systems and block-type thermal power stations. So-called gray water systems recycle the wastewater from the showers and hand basins.

As an example of sustainable living, the spokeswoman for the Studentenwerk mentions a dormitory opened on the campus of the Technical Hoschschule Wildau.[7] When planning the building, great importance was attached to sustainability. In this way, heat and energy can be generated in an in-house combined heat and power plant, she explains. This is consumed directly on site and also supplies the second - older - dormitory on the property. The solar thermal energy on the roof of the older building also benefits the new dormitory. A green roof that acts like a natural air conditioning system has also been implemented in the building. An e-charging station on the property will soon be supplying vehicles with electricity, says Kujau. The location is extensive and an in-house electric vehicle is already in use.

The Studentenwerk sees potential for being even more climate-conscious in catering facilities such as the cafeteria. For example, all plastic bottles and tetrapaks are currently being removed from the range and replaced by more sustainable glass bottles. According to Kujau, a vegan coffee station was recently set up on the Golm campus[8]. A regular "Veggie Wednesday" will be offered from September. Every Wednesday in the eight canteens and eight cafeterias run by the Studentenwerk, only meat-free meals are served. "We are looking forward to the response".

Source

dpa: Hochschulen in Brandenburg: Klimabewusst und nachhaltig, in:

Süd-Deutsche Zeitung, 28/8/2021, https://www.zeit.de/news/2021-08/28/hochschulen-in-brandenburg-klimabewusst-und-nachhaltig?utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.be%2F

[1] https://www.uni-potsdam.de/en/organization/overview The University of Potsdam is a public university in Potsdam, capital of the state of Brandenburg, Germany. It is mainly situated across three campuses in the city. Some faculty buildings are part of the New Palace of Sanssouci which is known for its UNESCO World Heritage status. The University of Potsdam is Brandenburg's largest university and the fourth largest in the Berlin-Brandenburg metropolitan area. More than 8,000 people are working in scholarship and science. [2] https://www.th-brandenburg.de/en/home/ The Brandenburg University of Applied Sciences (German: Technische Hochschule Brandenburg, known as THB or TH Brandenburg) is a University of Applied Science (UAS) located in Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany. It was founded in 1992 as the Fachhochschule Brandenburg and became the first Hochschule of Brandenburg an der Havel. The campus of the Brandenburg University of Applied Sciences is situated in the Altstadt, in a former military complex from the 19th century. The students of the Brandenburg University of Applied Science are being supervised by about 260 employees. [3] https://www.b-tu.de/en/ The Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus–Senftenberg (German: Brandenburgische Technische Universität, BTU) was founded in 1991 and is a technical university in Brandenburg, Germany with campuses in Cottbus and Senftenberg. The university has 185 professors, 640 additional academic staff and more than 7,000 students, of which 2,350 are of foreign origin from more than 100 nations. [4] https://www.b-tu.de/fmpa The Forschungs- und Materialprüfanstalt (FMPA) ( Research and Materials Testing Institute) is an institution of the BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg with the Faculty of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Urban Planning (Faculty 6). Due to its internal structure, personnel and technical equipment and their associated division of 4 subject groups (analysis, building materials, construction and technology), is made available to the entire university, but especially to the departments of Faculty 6 for research and teaching. In addition, the FMPA executes independent tasks from the Land Brandenburg in the context of a Testing, monitoring and certification body for testing reinforced steel (PÜZ) and is available as a partner to the regional and supra-regional industry. [5] https://www.bmbf.de/bmbf/de/home/home_node.html - ion German: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) [6] https://www.studentenwerk-potsdam.de/?L=1 With its various social services, the Studentenwerk Potsdam provides the framework for successful studies. It takes care of more than 30.000 students at universities in Potsdam, Brandenburg an der Havel and Wildau. They deal with a whole variety of subjects such as offering a healthy lunch, providing affordable accommodations, helping with BAföG applications (financial support from Bundesministerium für Bildung und Förschung), giving advice in difficult times or helping to find a job! [7] https://en.th-wildau.de/ The Technical University of Applied Sciences Wildau ('TH Wildau' in short) is the largest of five universities of applied sciences in the federal state of Brandenburg, Germany.TH Wildau was founded as a technical university of applied sciences in 1991, but its connection to engineering education dates back further to the late 1940s. Today it sits on a modern and compact campus, with direct S-Bahn access to Germany's capital city, Berlin. [8] http://www.psych.uni-potsdam.de/location/campus-golm-e.html

[architectnews]

Classroom Building University of California Santa Barbara

University of California Santa Barbara Classroom Building, UCSB Los Angeles Design, Architect News

Classroom Building University of California Santa Barbara

Architecture Shows at UCSB in Goleta, CA, USA: Events Programme

Apr 12, 2021

University of California Santa Barbara Classroom Building News

Location: UCSB, California, United States of America

Design: LMN Architects

LMN Architects Designs New Classroom Building At The University Of California Santa Barbara

Inspired By The Site And The History Of The Campus, The Project Is The First New Building Dedicated To Classroom Space In Fifty Years

Seattle, Washington – April 12, 2021 – LMN Architects is pleased to celebrate the design and beginning of construction of the new Classroom Building at the University of California Santa Barbara. The project will increase campus classroom capacity by 35 percent, providing 2,000 seats in contemporary instructional spaces over four floors in the center of the University’s iconic shoreline campus.

The University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) has begun construction on a new 90,000 SFT Classroom Building designed by LMN Architects on a central site adjacent to the Library along Library Mall. The project will be the first new classroom building on campus since 1967 and will provide additional active learning space with 2,000 seats in 5 lecture halls, 3 active learning flat-floor rooms, and 20 flexible classrooms. The Classroom Building is designed to be a porous structure that opens at every face to welcome the university community, intertwining the life of the building with the surrounding campus and spectacular natural environment.

“As a top-tier research university and member of the prestigious American Association of Universities, UC Santa Barbara has been long overdue to update its teaching capabilities,” comments Gene Lucas, Chair of the New Classroom Building Committee for the University. “As a campus with a reputation for pioneering interdisciplinary teaching and research, this new classroom building will provide spaces that encourage collaborative education and promote faculty-student interactions. Every classroom is designed to facilitate active learning, an experience our students are clamoring for, and our faculty is excited to provide. LMN has done an outstanding job of designing a building that not only provides this capability but integrates well with both the campus architecture and our beautiful Pacific Coast setting.”

Stephen Van Dyck, Partner, LMN Architects, comments: “Together with University leadership, we have envisioned a building and surrounding public spaces that are open and welcoming. Drawing on the coastal climate and spectacular natural setting to create a place that will be among the most heavily used on campus. The building’s site and design represent a major step forward towards the goals of the University’s Long Range Development Plan, anticipating the eventual extension of Library Mall to the south and realizing the eastward extension of Pardall Mall, ultimately linking several of the campus’ most significant shared buildings along these major public spaces.”

The project comprises two main volumes surrounding a central circulation corridor that runs east-west, linking the extension of Library Mall to Science Walk. This open-air paseo interconnects the functions of the two buildings’ masses, providing outdoor terraces, stairs, bridges, and collaboration spaces designed to encourage serendipitous interactions and collaboration among students and faculty. The intensity of use of the building’s many instructional spaces will activate the building throughout the day, extending the vibrant social and academic cultures of UCSB throughout the building’s vertically arranged public spaces.

On the exterior, the building presents two characters of expression. A taught, vertical façade system comprised of high-performance-concrete panels and vertical windows clads the outward-facing elevations, establishing the building massing as clear framing elements along the adjacent campus spaces of Library Mall and Pardall Mall.

Facing the building’s internal public spaces, the building takes a radically different form by sculpting the shared exterior terraces with a more loose, organic formal language, driven by the efficient planning of the lecture halls within. The resulting formal and material qualities of these spaces take inspiration from the local vernacular architecture and the adjacent seaside cliffs, recalling the sedimentary sandstone in its curvilinear, polished concrete block walls.

Jennifer Milliron, Principal, LMN Architects, comments: “The experience of the building is intended to be an extension of the campus experience. Taking advantage of the Central Coast of California climate and the views to the Pacific Ocean, the building acts almost as a vertical extension of the adjacent campus spaces. This same thinking is brought inwards to the building’s teaching spaces, featuring material and color palettes inspired by the campus’ unique natural setting. We have strategically integrated natural light in every room, and on the upper floors have created seminar rooms that feature views out to the lagoon and ocean beyond. This is a design that could only have evolved out of this iconic campus and stunning natural environment.”

The four-story ensemble broke ground in February of 2021 and is expected to be completed in 2023. LMN Architects has designed over 140 projects on 47 campus in the United States, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Center for Computer Science & Engineering at the University of Washington in Seattle; the Voxman Music Building at the University of Iowa in Iowa City; Edward J. Minskoff Pavilion at Michigan State University in East Lansing; and the Clemson School of Business in Clemson.

University of California Santa Barbara Classroom – Building Information

Project Title: University of California, Santa Barbara Classroom Building.

Location: Santa Barbara, CA, USA

Design Years: 2018-2021

Construction Years: 2021-2023.

Major Building Materials: High-performance concrete panels, polished concrete block, perforated aluminum guardrails, high-performance glazing.

Program: Lecture Halls (175, 250 and 350 seat), Active Learning Classrooms, Discussion Section Classrooms, Technical Office Suite, Informal Teaching Space, Exterior Terraces, Gender Inclusive Restrooms, Classroom Support, and Building Storage.

Site Area: 159,000 SFT (14,771.5 s.m.)

Floor Area: 90,000 SFT (8,361.2 s.m.)

Building Height: 81’ – 6”. (24.7 m.).

Number of Floors: 4 (+ Penthouse)

Project Images

Project Renderings: LMN Architects

Publication Drawings Credit: LMN Architects

Project Credits

Architect: LMN Architects 801 Second Avenue, Suite 501 Seattle, Washington 98104

Project Team: John Aldredge Albert Cua, AIA Rob Curran Michael Day Tiffani Erdmanczyk, Associate AIA Jeff Floor, AIA Howard Howlett, Associate AIA Kris Jugueta Susan Lowance, AIA Chris Martin, AIA Jennifer Milliron, Associate AIA Charlotte Phillips Shima Sahebnassagh, Associate AIA George Shaw, FAIA Stephen Van Dyck, AIA Kevin Zhang

UCSB Design & Construction Services: John Fitzgerald Julie Hendricks Ernie Knapp Liana Khammash Bill McGreevy Meagan Roa Jack Wolever

Project Contractor: C.W. Driver.

Structural: Saiful Bouquet, Inc.

Civil Engineer: Stantec Consulting Services, Inc.

Landscape Architect: Arcadia Studio, Inc.

MEP, Lighting & Sustainability: Integral Group.

Acoustic, AV & IT: Arup North America Ltd.

Environmental Graphics: Entro.

Bicycle Planning: Fehr & Peers.

Wind: RWDI.

LMN Architects

LMN Architects · 801 2nd Ave Ste 501 · Seattle, WA 98104-1509 · USA

Classroom Building University of California Santa Barbara images / information received April 12, 2021

Previously on e-architect

University of California Santa Barbara News

University of California Santa Barbara Exhibition Location: Isla Vista – campus of the UCSB in Goleta, California, United States of America

The Art, Design, & Architecture Museum presents Clocks and Clouds: The Architecture of Escher GuneWardena, a mid-career survey of the firm founded in Los Angeles by Frank Escher and Ravi GuneWardena in 1997.

Chemosphere Restoration/Remodel, 1998-2000: photo : Josh White University of California Santa Barbara Exhibitions

Library Master Plan for University of California, Los Angeles Design: Johnson Favaro, Culver City rendering courtesy of Johnson Favaro Library Master Plan for University of California, UCLA

North Campus Housing at University of California, San Diego Design: Carrier Johnson + CULTURE University of California San Diego Housing

Location: UC Santa Barbara, California, USA – north of Los Angeles, Southern California, United States of America

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Los Angeles Construction Photographs photo © Kenneth Johansson Photography Los Angeles Construction Photos

New designs for the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art image courtesy of architects Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Los Angeles

The Wave House Venice Architect: Mario Romano photograph : Brandon Arant The Wave House, Venice, California

Mirror House in Beverly Hills Architects: XTEN Architecture photos : Art Gray Mirror House in Beverly Hills

Los Angeles Architect Studios

University of California Santa Barbara Exhibition

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Comments / photos for the Classroom Building University of California Santa Barbara – Los Angeles Event page welcome

Website: University of California Santa Barbara Exhibitions

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[sciencespies]

In huge breakthrough, the largest offshore wind farm in US history was just approved

https://sciencespies.com/tech/in-huge-breakthrough-the-largest-offshore-wind-farm-in-us-history-was-just-approved/

In huge breakthrough, the largest offshore wind farm in US history was just approved

The United States’ offshore wind industry is tiny, with just seven wind turbines operating off Rhode Island and Virginia. The few attempts to build large-scale wind farms like Europe’s have run into long delays, but that may be about to change.

On 11 May 2021, the US government issued the final federal approval for the Vineyard Wind project, a utility-scale wind farm that has been over a decade in the planning.

The wind farm’s developers plan to install 62 giant turbines in the Atlantic Ocean about 15 miles (24 kilometers) off Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, with enough capacity to power 400,000 homes with clean energy.

The project is the first approved since the Biden administration announced a goal in March to develop 30,000 megawatts of offshore wind capacity this decade and promised to accelerate the federal review process.

To put that goal in perspective, the US has just 42 megawatts today. Vineyard Wind expects to add 800 megawatts in 2023.

So, are we finally seeing the launch of a thriving offshore wind industry in the North America?

Several wind farm developers already hold leases in prime locations off the Eastern Seaboard, suggesting plenty of interest.

As engineering professors leading the Energy Transition Initiative and Wind Energy Center at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, we have been closely watching the industry’s challenges and progress.

The process could move quickly once permitting and approvals are on track, but there are still obstacles.

Why offshore wind plans stalled under Trump

Vineyard Wind had planned to begin construction in 2019, but a ruling by the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management under the Trump administration stalled it. The ruling cast a shadow over other wind farm plans and hopes for an US offshore wind industry.

The agency ruled that the developers needed to address what is called “cumulative impacts” – what the East Coast will look like when there are not one or two, but 20 or 40 large-scale wind farms.

That part of the US coast is ideal for wind power because of its wide, shallow shelf and proximity to cities that are looking for renewable electricity to reduce their climate impact.

(BOEM)

Above: Developers already hold wind energy leases for several areas off the East Coast.

Many researchers studying offshore wind, including some of our colleagues, urge planners to take this perspective.

But thinking carefully about a far future with several wind farms does not justify blocking the first utility-scale wind farm now. That first large wind farm will be an opportunity to learn, including about how wind turbines will interact with marine ecosystems.

Right now there is almost no data on the impacts of offshore wind on the region’s marine wildlife. The knowledge gained will be invaluable in moving forward responsibly.

Is fast-tracking federal approvals enough?

Speeding up federal approvals for offshore wind farms is an important first step, but those aren’t the only hurdles for offshore wind farm developers.

A large number of state environmental and coastal agencies also must approve offshore wind farm plans, and the communities where cables come ashore have a say.

Many of the Northeastern states, including Massachusetts, have their own offshore wind energy goals, so they’re likely to support wind farms. But some wealthy communities and the fishing industry have pushed back on wind power in the past.

Vineyard Wind’s developers worked with community groups and fishermen from the region and agreed to compensate them for potential revenue losses.

Vineyard Wind’s location and cable plan. (Vineyard Wind)

Above: Vineyard Wind’s plan uses one of the world’s largest turbines, GE’s Haliade-X, to reduce the number of turbines needed. Each has a capacity of 13 megawatts and blades the length of a football field.

The federal approval process, even fast-tracked, is also time-consuming. The government conducts reviews and requires site assessment plans, including geological, environmental and hazard surveys.

From planning to construction, the entire process can take five to six years or more.

Is the US ready to build offshore turbines?

Some other big questions revolve around construction.

Under a 1920 law known as the Jones Act, only US-registered vessels operated by US citizens or permanent residents can move cargo between US ports. In December 2020, Congress made clear that this law applies to wind turbine construction, too.

When companies build offshore wind turbines today, they use special vessels for the installation of the most common offshore turbine designs. The US doesn’t have any of these vessels yet, and the Jones Act makes it difficult to rely on vessels from Europe to do the job.

There is promise, though: The first US-made version of this vessel is being built in Texas right now. That’s one – the country will need several to meet the new goal.

(GE)

Above: Vineyard Wind’s plan uses one of the world’s largest turbines, GE’s Haliade-X, to reduce the number of turbines needed. Each has a capacity of 13 megawatts and blades the length of a football field.

A thriving wind power industry will also need ports for storing and deploying the long turbine blades, plus a trained workforce for construction and turbine maintenance.

A few coastal states have a head start on this. Massachusetts started laying the groundwork early and already has a port terminal in New Bedford to support the construction and deployment of future offshore wind projects. New Jersey recently announced a plan for a new offshore wind port that will start construction in 2022, and Delaware has been considering one.

States are also investing in training. New York state announced a US$20 million offshore wind training institute in January 2021 with the goal of training 2,500 workers.

The Biden administration envisions 44,000 people employed in offshore wind by 2030, and many more in communities connected to offshore wind power activity.

Costs and benefits of offshore wind

In Europe, where many governments have reduced regulatory risks to the industry, the cost of offshore wind energy has come down much faster than experts expected, to around $50 per megawatt-hour.

If the Biden administration’s new approach allows US wind farms to achieve costs like this, then offshore wind, with its proximity to large urban centers on the East Coast, will be competitive.

It’s also important to recognize other benefits. Every year of delay for a large-scale wind farm costs the US hundreds of millions of dollars in climate benefits. The Biden administration calculates that its new wind power goal would avoid 78 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, roughly equivalent to taking 17 million cars off the road for a year.

This article updates a version published March 31, 2021.

Erin Baker, Professor of Industrial Engineering Applied to Energy Policy, University of Massachusetts Amherst and Matthew Lackner, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

#Tech

[yesterdaysdreams]

The US just set ambitious offshore wind power targets – what will it take to meet them?

 by Erin Baker, and Matthew Lackner, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

The United States’ offshore wind industry is tiny, with just seven wind turbines operating off Rhode Island and Virginia. The few attempts to build large-scale wind farms like Europe’s have run into long delays, but that may be about to change.

The Biden administration announced on March 29, 2021, that it would accelerate the federal review process for offshore wind projects and provide more funding. It also set a goal: Develop 30,000 megawatts of offshore wind capacity this decade – enough to power 10 million homes with clean energy. To put that in perspective, the U.S. has just 42 megawatts today.

Several wind farm developers already hold leases in prime locations off the Eastern Seaboard, suggesting plenty of interest. So, will the government’s new goals and promise of additional funding be enough to finally launch a thriving offshore wind industry?

As engineering professors leading the Energy Transition Initiative and Wind Energy Center at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, we have been closely watching the industry’s challenges and progress. The process could move quickly once permitting and approvals are on track, but there are still obstacles.

Why offshore wind plans stalled under Trump

Vineyard Wind, which is likely to become the nation’s first commercial-scale offshore wind farm, had planned to begin construction in 2019 about 15 miles off Martha’s Vineyard. A ruling by the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management under the Trump administration stalled it, and also cast a shadow over other wind farm plans.

The agency ruled that the developers needed to address what is called “cumulative impacts” – what the East Coast will look like when there are not one or two, but 20 or 40 large-scale wind farms. That part of the U.S. coast is ideal for wind power because of its wide, shallow shelf and proximity to cities that are looking for renewable electricity to reduce their climate impact.

Developers already hold wind energy leases for several areas on the East Coast. BOEM

Many researchers studying offshore wind, including some of our colleagues, urge planners to take this perspective. But, thinking carefully about the far future does not justify a delay in the first utility-scale wind farm.

That first large wind farm should be an opportunity to learn, including about how wind turbines will interact with marine ecosystems. Right now, there is almost no data on the impacts of offshore wind on marine wildlife – birds, bats, whales, fish – especially on wildlife that is native to New England. The knowledge gained will be invaluable in moving forward responsibly.

Is fast-tracking federal approvals enough?

Speeding up federal approvals for offshore wind farms is an important first step, but those aren’t the only hurdles for offshore wind farm developers.

A large number of state environmental and coastal agencies still must approve, and the communities where cables come ashore will also have a say. Many of the Northeast states have their own offshore wind energy goals, so they’re likely to support wind farms, but some wealthy communities and the fishing industry have pushed back on wind power in the past.

The federal approval process, even fast-tracked, is also time-consuming. The government conducts reviews and requires site assessment plans, including geological, environmental and hazard surveys. From planning to construction, the entire process can take five to six years or more.

Is the US ready to build offshore turbines?

Some other big questions revolve around construction.

Under a 1920 law known as the Jones Act, only U.S.-registered vessels operated by U.S. citizens or permanent residents can move cargo between U.S. ports. In December 2020, Congress made clear that this law applies to wind turbine construction, too.

When companies build offshore wind turbines today, they use special vessels for the installation of the most common offshore turbine designs. The U.S. doesn’t have any of these vessels yet, and the Jones Act makes it difficult to rely on vessels from Europe to do the job. There is promise, though: The first U.S.-made version of this vessel is being built in Texas right now. That’s one – the country will need several to meet the new goal.

Areas with the highest average offshore wind speeds aren’t necessarily the best wind farm locations. The depth of the water and proximity to cities are also important. World Bank/ESMAP, CC BY

A thriving wind power industry will also need ports for storing and deploying the long turbine blades, plus a trained workforce for construction and turbine maintenance.

A few coastal states have a head start on this. Massachusetts started laying the groundwork early and already has a port terminal in New Bedford to support the construction and deployment of future offshore wind projects. New Jersey recently announced a plan for a new offshore wind port that will start construction in 2022.

States are also investing in training. New York state announced a $20 million offshore wind training institute in January 2021 with the goal of training 2,500 workers for the industry and maintenance. The Biden administration envisions 44,000 people employed in offshore wind by 2030 and many more in communities connected to offshore wind power activity.

Will offshore wind pay off?

In Europe, where many governments have reduced regulatory risk, the cost of offshore wind energy has come down rapidly, much faster than experts expected, to around $50 per megawatt-hour. If the Biden administration’s new approach allow U.S. wind farms to achieve costs like this, then offshore wind, with its proximity to large urban centers on the East Coast, will be competitive.

It’s also important to recognize other benefits. Every year of delay for a large-scale wind farm costs the U.S. hundreds of millions of dollars in climate benefits. The Biden administration calculates that its new wind power goal would avoid 78 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, roughly equivalent to taking 17 million cars off the road for a year.

Erin Baker is a Professor of Industrial Engineering applied to Energy Policy, University of Massachusetts Amherst and Matthew Lackner is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

The post The US just set ambitious offshore wind power targets – what will it take to meet them? appeared first on Renewable Energy World.

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[f4rmville]

The US just set ambitious offshore wind power targets – what will it take to meet them?

 by Erin Baker, and Matthew Lackner, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

The United States’ offshore wind industry is tiny, with just seven wind turbines operating off Rhode Island and Virginia. The few attempts to build large-scale wind farms like Europe’s have run into long delays, but that may be about to change.

The Biden administration announced on March 29, 2021, that it would accelerate the federal review process for offshore wind projects and provide more funding. It also set a goal: Develop 30,000 megawatts of offshore wind capacity this decade – enough to power 10 million homes with clean energy. To put that in perspective, the U.S. has just 42 megawatts today.

Several wind farm developers already hold leases in prime locations off the Eastern Seaboard, suggesting plenty of interest. So, will the government’s new goals and promise of additional funding be enough to finally launch a thriving offshore wind industry?

As engineering professors leading the Energy Transition Initiative and Wind Energy Center at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, we have been closely watching the industry’s challenges and progress. The process could move quickly once permitting and approvals are on track, but there are still obstacles.

Why offshore wind plans stalled under Trump

Vineyard Wind, which is likely to become the nation’s first commercial-scale offshore wind farm, had planned to begin construction in 2019 about 15 miles off Martha’s Vineyard. A ruling by the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management under the Trump administration stalled it, and also cast a shadow over other wind farm plans.

The agency ruled that the developers needed to address what is called “cumulative impacts” – what the East Coast will look like when there are not one or two, but 20 or 40 large-scale wind farms. That part of the U.S. coast is ideal for wind power because of its wide, shallow shelf and proximity to cities that are looking for renewable electricity to reduce their climate impact.

Developers already hold wind energy leases for several areas on the East Coast. BOEM

Many researchers studying offshore wind, including some of our colleagues, urge planners to take this perspective. But, thinking carefully about the far future does not justify a delay in the first utility-scale wind farm.

That first large wind farm should be an opportunity to learn, including about how wind turbines will interact with marine ecosystems. Right now, there is almost no data on the impacts of offshore wind on marine wildlife – birds, bats, whales, fish – especially on wildlife that is native to New England. The knowledge gained will be invaluable in moving forward responsibly.

Is fast-tracking federal approvals enough?

Speeding up federal approvals for offshore wind farms is an important first step, but those aren’t the only hurdles for offshore wind farm developers.

A large number of state environmental and coastal agencies still must approve, and the communities where cables come ashore will also have a say. Many of the Northeast states have their own offshore wind energy goals, so they’re likely to support wind farms, but some wealthy communities and the fishing industry have pushed back on wind power in the past.

The federal approval process, even fast-tracked, is also time-consuming. The government conducts reviews and requires site assessment plans, including geological, environmental and hazard surveys. From planning to construction, the entire process can take five to six years or more.

Is the US ready to build offshore turbines?

Some other big questions revolve around construction.

Under a 1920 law known as the Jones Act, only U.S.-registered vessels operated by U.S. citizens or permanent residents can move cargo between U.S. ports. In December 2020, Congress made clear that this law applies to wind turbine construction, too.

When companies build offshore wind turbines today, they use special vessels for the installation of the most common offshore turbine designs. The U.S. doesn’t have any of these vessels yet, and the Jones Act makes it difficult to rely on vessels from Europe to do the job. There is promise, though: The first U.S.-made version of this vessel is being built in Texas right now. That’s one – the country will need several to meet the new goal.

Areas with the highest average offshore wind speeds aren’t necessarily the best wind farm locations. The depth of the water and proximity to cities are also important. World Bank/ESMAP, CC BY

A thriving wind power industry will also need ports for storing and deploying the long turbine blades, plus a trained workforce for construction and turbine maintenance.

A few coastal states have a head start on this. Massachusetts started laying the groundwork early and already has a port terminal in New Bedford to support the construction and deployment of future offshore wind projects. New Jersey recently announced a plan for a new offshore wind port that will start construction in 2022.

States are also investing in training. New York state announced a $20 million offshore wind training institute in January 2021 with the goal of training 2,500 workers for the industry and maintenance. The Biden administration envisions 44,000 people employed in offshore wind by 2030 and many more in communities connected to offshore wind power activity.

Will offshore wind pay off?

In Europe, where many governments have reduced regulatory risk, the cost of offshore wind energy has come down rapidly, much faster than experts expected, to around $50 per megawatt-hour. If the Biden administration’s new approach allow U.S. wind farms to achieve costs like this, then offshore wind, with its proximity to large urban centers on the East Coast, will be competitive.

It’s also important to recognize other benefits. Every year of delay for a large-scale wind farm costs the U.S. hundreds of millions of dollars in climate benefits. The Biden administration calculates that its new wind power goal would avoid 78 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, roughly equivalent to taking 17 million cars off the road for a year.

Erin Baker is a Professor of Industrial Engineering applied to Energy Policy, University of Massachusetts Amherst and Matthew Lackner is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

The post The US just set ambitious offshore wind power targets – what will it take to meet them? appeared first on Renewable Energy World.

from https://ift.tt/3wcKh4V

[solarliving]

The US just set ambitious offshore wind power targets – what will it take to meet them?

 by Erin Baker, and Matthew Lackner, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

The United States’ offshore wind industry is tiny, with just seven wind turbines operating off Rhode Island and Virginia. The few attempts to build large-scale wind farms like Europe’s have run into long delays, but that may be about to change.

The Biden administration announced on March 29, 2021, that it would accelerate the federal review process for offshore wind projects and provide more funding. It also set a goal: Develop 30,000 megawatts of offshore wind capacity this decade – enough to power 10 million homes with clean energy. To put that in perspective, the U.S. has just 42 megawatts today.

Several wind farm developers already hold leases in prime locations off the Eastern Seaboard, suggesting plenty of interest. So, will the government’s new goals and promise of additional funding be enough to finally launch a thriving offshore wind industry?

As engineering professors leading the Energy Transition Initiative and Wind Energy Center at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, we have been closely watching the industry’s challenges and progress. The process could move quickly once permitting and approvals are on track, but there are still obstacles.

Why offshore wind plans stalled under Trump

Vineyard Wind, which is likely to become the nation’s first commercial-scale offshore wind farm, had planned to begin construction in 2019 about 15 miles off Martha’s Vineyard. A ruling by the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management under the Trump administration stalled it, and also cast a shadow over other wind farm plans.

The agency ruled that the developers needed to address what is called “cumulative impacts” – what the East Coast will look like when there are not one or two, but 20 or 40 large-scale wind farms. That part of the U.S. coast is ideal for wind power because of its wide, shallow shelf and proximity to cities that are looking for renewable electricity to reduce their climate impact.

Developers already hold wind energy leases for several areas on the East Coast. BOEM

Many researchers studying offshore wind, including some of our colleagues, urge planners to take this perspective. But, thinking carefully about the far future does not justify a delay in the first utility-scale wind farm.

That first large wind farm should be an opportunity to learn, including about how wind turbines will interact with marine ecosystems. Right now, there is almost no data on the impacts of offshore wind on marine wildlife – birds, bats, whales, fish – especially on wildlife that is native to New England. The knowledge gained will be invaluable in moving forward responsibly.

Is fast-tracking federal approvals enough?

Speeding up federal approvals for offshore wind farms is an important first step, but those aren’t the only hurdles for offshore wind farm developers.

A large number of state environmental and coastal agencies still must approve, and the communities where cables come ashore will also have a say. Many of the Northeast states have their own offshore wind energy goals, so they’re likely to support wind farms, but some wealthy communities and the fishing industry have pushed back on wind power in the past.

The federal approval process, even fast-tracked, is also time-consuming. The government conducts reviews and requires site assessment plans, including geological, environmental and hazard surveys. From planning to construction, the entire process can take five to six years or more.

Is the US ready to build offshore turbines?

Some other big questions revolve around construction.

Under a 1920 law known as the Jones Act, only U.S.-registered vessels operated by U.S. citizens or permanent residents can move cargo between U.S. ports. In December 2020, Congress made clear that this law applies to wind turbine construction, too.

When companies build offshore wind turbines today, they use special vessels for the installation of the most common offshore turbine designs. The U.S. doesn’t have any of these vessels yet, and the Jones Act makes it difficult to rely on vessels from Europe to do the job. There is promise, though: The first U.S.-made version of this vessel is being built in Texas right now. That’s one – the country will need several to meet the new goal.

Areas with the highest average offshore wind speeds aren’t necessarily the best wind farm locations. The depth of the water and proximity to cities are also important. World Bank/ESMAP, CC BY

A thriving wind power industry will also need ports for storing and deploying the long turbine blades, plus a trained workforce for construction and turbine maintenance.

A few coastal states have a head start on this. Massachusetts started laying the groundwork early and already has a port terminal in New Bedford to support the construction and deployment of future offshore wind projects. New Jersey recently announced a plan for a new offshore wind port that will start construction in 2022.

States are also investing in training. New York state announced a $20 million offshore wind training institute in January 2021 with the goal of training 2,500 workers for the industry and maintenance. The Biden administration envisions 44,000 people employed in offshore wind by 2030 and many more in communities connected to offshore wind power activity.

Will offshore wind pay off?

In Europe, where many governments have reduced regulatory risk, the cost of offshore wind energy has come down rapidly, much faster than experts expected, to around $50 per megawatt-hour. If the Biden administration’s new approach allow U.S. wind farms to achieve costs like this, then offshore wind, with its proximity to large urban centers on the East Coast, will be competitive.

It’s also important to recognize other benefits. Every year of delay for a large-scale wind farm costs the U.S. hundreds of millions of dollars in climate benefits. The Biden administration calculates that its new wind power goal would avoid 78 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, roughly equivalent to taking 17 million cars off the road for a year.

Erin Baker is a Professor of Industrial Engineering applied to Energy Policy, University of Massachusetts Amherst and Matthew Lackner is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

The post The US just set ambitious offshore wind power targets – what will it take to meet them? appeared first on Renewable Energy World.

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[brewedsunlight]

The US just set ambitious offshore wind power targets – what will it take to meet them?

 by Erin Baker, and Matthew Lackner, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

The United States’ offshore wind industry is tiny, with just seven wind turbines operating off Rhode Island and Virginia. The few attempts to build large-scale wind farms like Europe’s have run into long delays, but that may be about to change.

The Biden administration announced on March 29, 2021, that it would accelerate the federal review process for offshore wind projects and provide more funding. It also set a goal: Develop 30,000 megawatts of offshore wind capacity this decade – enough to power 10 million homes with clean energy. To put that in perspective, the U.S. has just 42 megawatts today.

Several wind farm developers already hold leases in prime locations off the Eastern Seaboard, suggesting plenty of interest. So, will the government’s new goals and promise of additional funding be enough to finally launch a thriving offshore wind industry?

As engineering professors leading the Energy Transition Initiative and Wind Energy Center at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, we have been closely watching the industry’s challenges and progress. The process could move quickly once permitting and approvals are on track, but there are still obstacles.

Why offshore wind plans stalled under Trump

Vineyard Wind, which is likely to become the nation’s first commercial-scale offshore wind farm, had planned to begin construction in 2019 about 15 miles off Martha’s Vineyard. A ruling by the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management under the Trump administration stalled it, and also cast a shadow over other wind farm plans.

The agency ruled that the developers needed to address what is called “cumulative impacts” – what the East Coast will look like when there are not one or two, but 20 or 40 large-scale wind farms. That part of the U.S. coast is ideal for wind power because of its wide, shallow shelf and proximity to cities that are looking for renewable electricity to reduce their climate impact.

Developers already hold wind energy leases for several areas on the East Coast. BOEM

Many researchers studying offshore wind, including some of our colleagues, urge planners to take this perspective. But, thinking carefully about the far future does not justify a delay in the first utility-scale wind farm.

That first large wind farm should be an opportunity to learn, including about how wind turbines will interact with marine ecosystems. Right now, there is almost no data on the impacts of offshore wind on marine wildlife – birds, bats, whales, fish – especially on wildlife that is native to New England. The knowledge gained will be invaluable in moving forward responsibly.

Is fast-tracking federal approvals enough?

Speeding up federal approvals for offshore wind farms is an important first step, but those aren’t the only hurdles for offshore wind farm developers.

A large number of state environmental and coastal agencies still must approve, and the communities where cables come ashore will also have a say. Many of the Northeast states have their own offshore wind energy goals, so they’re likely to support wind farms, but some wealthy communities and the fishing industry have pushed back on wind power in the past.

The federal approval process, even fast-tracked, is also time-consuming. The government conducts reviews and requires site assessment plans, including geological, environmental and hazard surveys. From planning to construction, the entire process can take five to six years or more.

Is the US ready to build offshore turbines?

Some other big questions revolve around construction.

Under a 1920 law known as the Jones Act, only U.S.-registered vessels operated by U.S. citizens or permanent residents can move cargo between U.S. ports. In December 2020, Congress made clear that this law applies to wind turbine construction, too.

When companies build offshore wind turbines today, they use special vessels for the installation of the most common offshore turbine designs. The U.S. doesn’t have any of these vessels yet, and the Jones Act makes it difficult to rely on vessels from Europe to do the job. There is promise, though: The first U.S.-made version of this vessel is being built in Texas right now. That’s one – the country will need several to meet the new goal.

Areas with the highest average offshore wind speeds aren’t necessarily the best wind farm locations. The depth of the water and proximity to cities are also important. World Bank/ESMAP, CC BY

A thriving wind power industry will also need ports for storing and deploying the long turbine blades, plus a trained workforce for construction and turbine maintenance.

A few coastal states have a head start on this. Massachusetts started laying the groundwork early and already has a port terminal in New Bedford to support the construction and deployment of future offshore wind projects. New Jersey recently announced a plan for a new offshore wind port that will start construction in 2022.

States are also investing in training. New York state announced a $20 million offshore wind training institute in January 2021 with the goal of training 2,500 workers for the industry and maintenance. The Biden administration envisions 44,000 people employed in offshore wind by 2030 and many more in communities connected to offshore wind power activity.

Will offshore wind pay off?

In Europe, where many governments have reduced regulatory risk, the cost of offshore wind energy has come down rapidly, much faster than experts expected, to around $50 per megawatt-hour. If the Biden administration’s new approach allow U.S. wind farms to achieve costs like this, then offshore wind, with its proximity to large urban centers on the East Coast, will be competitive.

It’s also important to recognize other benefits. Every year of delay for a large-scale wind farm costs the U.S. hundreds of millions of dollars in climate benefits. The Biden administration calculates that its new wind power goal would avoid 78 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, roughly equivalent to taking 17 million cars off the road for a year.

Erin Baker is a Professor of Industrial Engineering applied to Energy Policy, University of Massachusetts Amherst and Matthew Lackner is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

The post The US just set ambitious offshore wind power targets – what will it take to meet them? appeared first on Renewable Energy World.

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[juniperpublisherswb]

Juniper publishers-An Analysis of The Components of Environment and Sustainable Development in Nigeria in 2008-2009 to 2018 Year

Abstract

Drawing from secondary data, the paper shows that the indices of human development index(HDI), poverty alleviation index (PAI), education index(EI) and health care index(HCI) are more essentials judging from the 13 principles of sustainable development. The study aim is to examine human perception of environment and sustainable development, to ascertain the attitude of human’s toward sustainable development and to determine the level of governance on sustainable development in Nigeria. The methodology is a combination of experimental survey on content analysis of articles from literatures on development and sustainable development. A projection of 0.03%, from 2006 population census from was considered, NBS (2016). Likewise, a projection of 0.05% index of 2018 on HDI, PAI, HCI and EI was derived from 2008-2009 calculated value. The result shows that eleven (11) states in Nigeria including Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja have a higher human development index (knowledge, income and health) above the benchmark of 0.513. Five 5 states including FCT, Abuja have GDP per capita higher than the National GDP. Five 5 States have a higher GDP Index of per capitathan the National GDP Benchmark of $1,156.82. North-Central and South-East have the highest and lowest poverty index in term of geo-political zones. Ten (10) states from the northern region have higher poverty index in Nigeria. Fourteen (I4) states including FCT, Abuja have higher life expectancy index than the benchmark of 50 years while eleven (I1) states including FCT have higher education index than the benchmark of 0.712. The result shows that there is a positive correlation of population growth and development in states and geo-political zones of the indices of human development, poverty alleviation, health care and education. Lastly, resources of the environment need to be modified and conserved to attain sustainability for future generation.

Keywords: Environment, Sustainable Development, Environmental Quality, Governance, Resources and Ecosystem

Go to

Introduction

There is no doubt that the conception of sustainable development is broad in scope and nature and cut across the disciplines of environmental and social sciences. The term ‘sustainable development’ connotes an effective management of resources of the components of the environment and of the indices of environmental degradation, pollution, waste management and climate change; and others such as human governance, environmental impact of conflict, health, housing and urban development, policies and programmes, transportation and infrastructural facilities, environmental impact of project and projected impact on climate change are what the concerned of concept of environment and sustainable development [1,2]. These indices have been an abysmal threat in cities of Nigeria and Africa if compared to other places of the advanced world. The term environment serves as the totality of our immediate surroundings. It functions as the condition and circumstance affecting people’s lives. It is the complexity of physical, chemical and biotic factors upon which an organism or an ecological community and ultimately determines its form and survival [3,4]. The study of [5] states that any damage done on the environment runs down capital, which sooner or later reduces the value of its recurrent services. The implication of this is that, there is need for sustainability of the environment and its resources for future use.

There exists some level of synergy, interactions and dependency between and among the spheres of the ecosystem in order to maintain and sustain environmental balance [6]. For instance, the atmosphere depends solely on vegetative covers of the biosphere for purification and likewise the hydrosphere for precipitation. Equally, the hydrosphere depends on the atmosphere for water supply; the lithosphere depends on the atmosphere and biosphere for vegetation cover while the biosphere depends on the lithosphere for nutrients and support. The list is endless and lastly man, the fauna and flora depend squarely on all these components for life, growth, development and sustainability [7,8]. In Nigeria, the state of the natural environment has been degraded and deteriorates in recent time and is still on the decline due to the nature of man activities and his quest for comfortability [5,9]. The government as one of the ways to ameliorate this scourge has lined up series of sensitization programmes and public enlightenment campaign on the need to protect the ecosystem from further environmental degradation and threat. Every year the activities to World Environmental Day (WED) are observed on June 5th to proffer solutions to abysmal threat of the components of the environment.

Sustainable development means the capacity to improve the quality of human life while living within the carrying capacity of the supporting ecosystem [10,11]. This requires organizational change that instills sustainability values that portrays these values outwardly from all levels and reinforces them to surrounding stakeholders. The result should be a symbiotic relationship between the sustaining organization, community, and environment. Many drivers compel environmental resource management to take sustainability issues into account. Today’s economic paradigms do not protect the natural environment, yet they deepen human dependency on biodiversity and ecosystem services [9,12,13]. Furthermore, sustainable development connote the judicious use of non-renewable resources of the present and future generations, which are non-renewable resources, must be used at a judicious rate, neither too fast nor too slow and to ensure the natural wealth they represent is converted into long-term wealth as they are used [14].

According to Mishra (2008), as cited by Ivbijaro & Akintola [2] and in collaboration with the study of Cunningham and Cunningham (2015), the universal drive for the concept of sustainable development is of the menace of environmental degradation, pollution and indiscriminate dump of solid waste materials. However, the focused of the concept of sustainable development is concerned about

a. respecting and caring for community life

b. improved quality of human life

c. conserving the earth’s vitality and diversity

d. minimizing the depletion of non-renewable resources

e. changing personal attitude and practices

f. enabling communities to care for their own environment

g. keeping within the earth ‘s carrying capacity, and

h. providing a national framework for integrating development and conservation and creating a global alliance.

Sustainable development seeks to reconcile human needs and the capacity of the environment to cope with the consequences of economic and social systems and of the need to integrate the concept of environment into economic and social development which is the key sectors of human’s society, such as:

a) Economic sector; there is need for

i. growth in gross domestic product (GDP) and per capital income, and

ii. conservation of the earth, and

b) Social sector; there is need for

i. distributional equity

ii. adequate provision of social services, and

iii. governance, participation, and political accountability [2,9,15].

In view of the foregoing, the research focus is major on these indices. The study of Thomas [6], as cited by [16] shows that there must be a balance between the levels of development and stock of natural resources in the environment; that is development must be at a level that can be sustained without prejudice to natural environment and future generations. If there is to be sustainable development in Nigeria, the essentials and enabling environment need to be in place, accommodating and friendly and conserved by stakeholders of the environment (individuals, corporate organizations and government agencies). In addition, there should be improvements and sustainability of the indices of sustainable development such as, the availability of land, human-capital and material resources, good governance, sanitation, health care, education, transportation and infrastructures, housing and urban growth and development [13]. For example, in examination of the threat of solid waste as one of the drives of the indices of sustainable development; the compositions of waste materials should be made harmless to human, animal and aquatic life and to the components of the environment in general [16,17]. Global and National summits on the concept of environment and sustainable development aimed at the need for sustainable development of the earth’s resources to meet future generation [17,18]. The aftermath of the summits centered on development and conservation of the earth’s ecosystem, conservation of the environment and integrity of the environment on development of human, capital and materials resources. Surmises from these summits are...… in order to achieve sustainable development, environmental protection shall constitute an integral part of the development process and cannot be considered in isolation from it…Principle 4, Rio Declaration on Environmental and Development, 1992 [2].

In a nutshell, the concept of sustainable development is centered on improving the quality of human life and this drive is on-going and will continue to address ailing issues and problems like conflicts, poverty alleviation, human health, education, biodiversity, infrastructure, population reduction, women empowerment and gender inequality, waste management, heat wave and climate change and global warming among others environmental and global threats [2,19]. To achieve the aim of this research, the main objectives of this paper will be to ascertain human knowledge, perception and attitude (KPA) of the environment and sustainable development, while the specific objectives for the study are to:

a. examine human knowledge and perception of the environment and sustainable development,

b. ascertain the provision of essential social and economic services in some states in Nigeria,

c. determine the level of governance on sustainable development in Nigeria and

d. determine the sway of sustainable development in Nigeria.

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Conceptual Analysis

The concept of environment is concerned about the totality of our surroundings. This relate to the activities of man, living and non-living creatures on the components of the environment. This includes the physical ‘natural’ and human or man-made ‘artificial’ environment. The human and man-made environment is also known as the cultural environment. Furthermore, a mixed of natural, human, man-made and cultural environment is known as the modified environment [4,16,20]. The components of the environment are atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and biosphere. These varied spheres constitute the ecological units of the environment. There exist some level of synergy, interactions and interventions between and among the components of the environment for sustainable development [19]. The study of Odiette [5], as cited by Thomas [6], and in corroboration with the studies of Cunningham & Cunningham [7] and Ivbijaro & Akintola [2], observed that the environment serves as the platform on which, the sectors of human environment (economic, social, human and agricultural) thrives and functions.

The concept of environmental quality connotes the positive value of human health, safety and environment benefits of man and others living creatures in and on the components of the ecosystem. This connotes clean air, land and clean water and hygienic state of the environment Wright and Nebel [1], as cited by Odiette [5] and Agbebaku [21]. According to Wright and Nebel [1], these environmental indices functions as the essentials for man’s existence and sustainability. Environmental quality depicts healthy, conducive and friendly state of the components of the environment “atmosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere” to sustain man and other living organisms of the biosphere [4,21]. Qualitative state of the environment depends on the extent of planning, organizing, controlling and coordinating of human activities which is essential for sustainable development. The index for measuring water quality is through laboratory experimentation, for air quality is through the aid of flue gas analyzer while that for soil quality is through laboratory experimentation of earth samples LASEPA (2010).

According to Anifowose [22], governance means the process, state and power of governing. It connotes a group of persons which make-up an administrative body. This body is saddled with the responsibility to provide leadership role, influence and authority; enforced fair participation, and accountability for consistent, cohesion policies, processes and decision rights. The study of Ademolekun [23], in collaboration with the study of Fagbemi & Agbebaku [24], observed that governance is the ability to control the political, social and economic processes, to ensure provision of services, equity distribution and accountability of resources within their jurisdiction. In a nutshell, governance means the ability to administer authority and control over others. Good governance connotes the ability to provide operative leadership, influence and authority, fair participation, quality services, equity distribution and accountability of resources and social and economic ties with other nations.

A health-care service is aimed to provide health needs of the people. The study of Howard [25], observed that health-care systems either as primary or secondary is aimed to maintain, sustain and improve the quality of health care services. Basically, health care service is aimed to prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in human beings Farai [11], as cited by Ivbijaro & Akintola [2]. The study of Mumem (2009), observed that healthcare system is concerned about organization of people, institutions and resources that deliver health care services to meet the health needs of target populations.

Poverty alleviation scheme is aimed at reduction of absolute poverty. Poverty can be measured in both economic and humanitarian index. The sole aimed of poverty alleviation is to lift people out of poverty. The study of Cunningham & Cunningham [7], states that the dawn of industrial revolution led to high economic growth, eliminating mass poverty in what is now considered the developed world. Poverty in Nigeria remains significant low despite high economic growth. Nigeria has one of the world’s highest economic growth rates (averaging 7.4% over the last decade) a well-developed economy, and plenty of natural resources such as oil resource. However, Nigeria retains a high level of poverty, with 63% living on less than $1 per day, implying a decline in equity [14]. There have been governmental attempts at poverty alleviation, of which the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP) and National Poverty Eradication Council (NAPEC) are the most recent ones. The activities of NAPEP and NAPEC coordinate and oversee various other institutions, including ministries, and develop plans and guidelines to follow with regards to poverty reduction. The goals of NAPEP include training youths in vocational trades, to support internship, to support micro-credit, create employment in the automobile industry. The study of [2], revealed that NAPEP programmes has been able to train (since inception) 130,000 youths and engaged 216,000 people since its inception in 2001 but even at that Nigeria’s population is poor, poverty statistics is put at 54.41 per cent.

The concept of sustainable development is concerned about improving quality, maintainability, and conservation of the earth’s resources [2,10,12]. Sustainable development is concerned about conservation and integrity of the environment into development of human capital and materials resources. The study of Odiette [5], as cited by Thomas [6] and in corroboration with the studies of Ige [26], Cunningham & Cunningham [7] and Ivbijaro & Akintola [2], states that the aim of sustainable development is to meet the need of the people today without compromising resources and environmental systems for future generation. In this context, the term “development” refers to improving access to health care, education and other conditions necessary for a healthy and productive life, especially in regions of extreme poverty like Nigeria and other developing countries. According to the study of Cunningham & Cunningham [7] and Okechukwu [27], meeting the needs of people now is the main priority of what the concept of sustainable development is concerned, but guiding those resources for their great-great grand-children is a huge task and these needs to be accomplished. Agenda 21 of the 1992; Earth Summit (Rio de Janeiro), of the United Nations mentioned that there are Twenty-Seven (27) Principles (topics) for sustainable development. But thirteen (13) of these Principles (topics) are of special relevance to the field of environmental sciences [2].

These 13 topics are;

i. combating poverty

ii. reducing resource consumption

iii. population growth

iv. health care and environmental sanitation

v. sustainable cities

vi. environmental policy

vii. Protection of the atmosphere

viii. Combating desertification and drought

ix. Combating deforestation and protecting biodiversity

x. Agriculture and rural development

xi. Women and youth empowerment

xii. Freshwater and coaster water resources, and;

xiii. Mountainous areas.

Cunningham & Cunningham [2], submitted that these factors of sustainable development are major problems in Africa and other developing nations of the world. For instance, un-managed waste materials rendered the environment filthy, degrading and abysmal, effects from this menace lead to environmental degradation and global threat but where the waste materials are well managed, it led to enormous prospects such as

A. job creation

B. income generation

C. foreign exchange

D. environmental quality and

E. sustainable development of the earth’s resources [21,28].

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Materials and Methods

This paper is purely an experimental survey and a combination of content analysis of articles from literatures and field survey. It utilizes evidence mainly from secondary sources and observed information from field survey. Secondary data were sourced mainly from existing literature, academic journals, conference papers, thesis, internet materials and other archival sources. Information extracted was critically and emphatically evaluated and discussed. Primary information was sourced from established survey of literatures of 4indices out of the 13 relevant principles of sustainable development in Nigeria. The 4 relevant principles of sustainable development are the indices of human development index, health care index, education index and poverty alleviation index (GDP; from states and geopolitical zones). These indices were presented and analyzed in tables with the use of descriptive technique, percentage and graphs. Each of the tables’ shows minimum benchmark of the index of sustainable development as approved in Nigeria in line with UNDP standards. A projection of 0.03% was made from the 2006 population census, while 0.05% was made of 4 indices of sustainable development of the year of 2008 - 2009 and 2018. Tables’ and graphs show computation of 2006 population projection and indices of human development, health care, education and poverty alleviation indexes in some selected states, FCT, Abuja and of the six (6) geo-political zones in Nigeria.

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Experimental Survey of Four (4) Indices of Sustainable Development in Nigeria

Indices of Sustainable Development examined for this study are the indexes of human development, healthcare, poverty alleviation and education.

Human Development Index (HDI)

Human development index (HDI) is one of the relevant principles of sustainable development as identified in Agenda 21 of the Earth Summits in Rio de Janeiro [29]. The theme of HDI is that for sustainable development to be attained and achieved there should be the integration of human resource into development plan of the environment. Human development index measures the quality of human life and achievements. Integration of human development index into the environment can be determined in three dimensions; these are education, income and health. The HDI is the focus of sustainable development as other principles revolves around it. This index of sustainable development indices is in-line with other principles of health care, poverty alleviation and empowerment. In Nigeria, National index on human development is valued at 0.513 minimum benchmark. For this research, selection of states for the study is based on areas with high human development index higher than the national HDI of 0.513 benchmark. Same is applied for the indices of poverty alleviation, health care and education as key indicators for sustainable development. Table 1 (Chart 1) shows Human Development Index (HDI) of 11 States in Nigeria and Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Population census of 2006 and a projection of 2016 were determined for the 11 states as well as HDI of 2008-2009 and a projection of 2018 were examined.

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Findings and Discussion

Table 1 shows 2018 projection of 2006 population census at 0.03% and HDI at 0.0.5%, it will be observed that more states as against 11 states including FCT, Abuja in 2008-2009 year would have a higher HDI above National benchmark of 0.513. Increase in number of states on HDI could be in line with the submissions of [11,12,21], that HDI is a function of the drive for quality education, health care and human welfare. These were in submission with findings of Cunningham & Cunningham [30], which revealed that there is need for improvement in quality and achievements in human life in the dimension of education, health care and income and that these variables are essential indices that will help human integration into the environment and for sustainability of the earth resources. Cunningham & Cunningham [29], added that of these three indices of HDI, educational achievement is more essential as its coordinates and enhances improvement in health care and income generation. Furthermore, in line with objectives 1 and 2, findings show that more states have keyed into the concept of environment and sustainable development in Nigeria. Furthermore, it has been established that of the eleven (11) states in Nigeria as shown in Table 1 & chart 1 (Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa-Ibom, Lagos, Delta, Ondo, Cross River, Benue, Abia, Ekiti and Kano) including FCT, Abuja have high human development index [11]. But this submission is subject to how friendly and accommodating the environment is to sustain economic and social development. Tables 2 & 3 (charts 2 & 3) shows poverty alleviation states and of geo-political zones in Nigeria. From 2018 projection of 2006 population census at 0.03% and PAI at 0.0.5%, it will be observed that more states as against five (5) states including FCT, Abuja will continue to meet with National GDP benchmark of $1,156.82 of 2008-2009 year. Same can be said of poverty alleviation by geo-political zones in Nigeria. Finding shows that (GDP) per capital and purchasing power parity (PPP) US dollars varies with increase in population and level of investments. South-West geo-political zone with the 1st highest human population (27,581,992) in Southern Nigeria has 43.01 poverty indexes while the North-East geo-political zone with the 2nd highest human population (18,971,965) in Northern Nigeria has 72.16 poverty indexes (Table 4) (Chart 4).

The study further revealed that 10 states (Jigawa, Kebbi, Kogi, Bauchi, Kwara, Yobe, Zamfara, Gombe, Sokoto, Adamawa & Katsina) from North-West, North-East and North-Central geopolitical zones are grossly affected with poverty. In line with objective 3, it shows that governance on trade and investment and empowerment on income generation as key indices of poverty alleviation is low in these states and that leadership role on poverty alleviation is still lows in these states if compared to other states of the Federation. The degrees of poverty in these states could be in line with the submissions of Cunningham & Cunningham [7], as cited by Ivbijaro [2] and Fagbemi & Agbebaku [24], that poverty is measured in both economic and humanitarian index is aimed to lift people out of poverty and less governmental attempts of poverty alleviation in these areas. Furthermore, findings from Ivbijaro [2], shows that 63% of Nigerian lives on less than $1 per day and that about 54.41 per cent of Nigeria population is poor.

Table 5 (Chart 5) shows that from 2018 projection of 2006 population census at 0.03% and HCI at 0.0.5%, it will be observed that more states as against fourteen (14) states including FCT, Abuja will continue to meet with National HCI benchmark of 50 years of 2008-2009 year. Facilities of health care services were mal-administered, effective and not evenly distributed across states and geo-political zones in Nigeria. The study of Howard [25], Farai [11], observed that health care is aimed in addition to improved quality of health care services is concerned about organization of people, institution and resources that deliver health care services. Findings from Adedeji & Eziyi [9], Withgoth & Brennan [15] and Ivbijaro [2], revealed that there in need for distributional equity, adequate provision of social services and governance; participation and accountability. Fourteen (14) states including FCT, Abuja (Ekiti, Cross-River, Borno, Imo, Kano, Kebbi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Ondo, Sokoto, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Delta, Yobe and Abuja) have met the 50 years National bench mark of life expectancy as against 51.9 years at birth rate in Nigeria in 2008-2009 year. In line with objective 3, the study further reveals that there are high values for health care facilities in 15 states as presented in Table 5 than in other states of the federation [11]. Life expectancy in Togo is 56.1 while in Ghana and Benin Republic respectively it is put at 64.2 in 2008-2009 year.

Lastly, from the 2018 projection of 2006 population census at 0.03% and PAI at 0.0.5%, it will be observed that more states as against ten (10) states including FCT, Abuja will continue to meet with National EI benchmark of 0.712 of 2008-2009 year. Findings revealed that educational attainment is higher in three of the geo-political zones than in other zones; South-West, South- East and South-South states. Ten (10) states (Rivers, Akwa-Ibom, Lagos, Anambra, Enugu, Ondo, Imo, Edo, Abia and Ekiti) including the FCT, Abuja met the educational index National benchmark of 0.712. This agrees with the summations of Omofonwan & Segynola [31-39], Adedeji & Eziyi [9] and Wright & Boorse [12], that education depicts knowledge, wealth and leadership. They added that education enhances sustainable development of human development, poverty alleviation and health care among other principles of sustainable development. Furthermore, in line with objective 4, the study revealed that low attainment of educational standard as presented in Table 6 (Chart 6) will lead to low human development [11]. He added that an unmanaged environment will lowered sustainability development of the earth resources, which can be from the indices of human development, economic recession, food scarcity, threat from poor waste management, poor governance and accountability, population explosion and un-coordinated city structure, loss of resources, health challenge and global inequality. Furthermore, from the computation of 2006 population census in 2006 and with a projection at 0.03% in 2016 still on Table 6 revealed that Lagos state has the highest educational index in Nigeria [11].

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Conclusion

People’s perception, knowledge and attitude toward the environment and sustainable development need to be defined and re-define from time to time. Summits on environment and sustainable development aimed at turning the lofty goals, promises and commitments of varied earth summit’s into concrete and tangible actions, to advance and strengthen the inter-dependent and mutually reinforcing pillars of sustainable development in the sectors of economic, social and environment. There is need for improvement in the drives for knowledge, perception and attitudes of human in the provision of social services, good governance, housing and urban development, environmental impact on conflict, transportation and infrastructures, climate change, agricultural and rural development, combating desertification, drought and deforestation, protecting biodiversity, health care and poverty among others indices of sustainable development in Nigeria.

In order to attain equity distribution of social and economic services, the indices of human development, poverty alleviation, education and health care among others should be sustained. Number of schools, hospitals and other health service outlets, poverty alleviation schemes should be adequately taken care of by the 3-tiers of government. Governance is tied toward development of economic and social sectors of any economy. Development connotes change of character in economic and social sectors of the environment. There is the need to integrate the environment into development of the earth resources. Practice of build-up environment and afforestation brings lives into the ecosystem, while unmanaged environment results to gradual death of man, plants and other organisms of the ecosystem. The cycle(s) of energy in each of the components of the ecosystem, interaction and interrelationship must be maintained and sustained.

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